...Main Street Skowhegan, headquartered in offices above The Bankery and Skowhegan Fleuriste on Water Street downtown, has been awarded a $9,500 tourism enterprise grant from the Maine Office of Tourism to promote the 2018 Maine Moose Permit Lottery and the festival in its inaugural year.

The lottery will take place Saturday, June 9, and festival events will run from Friday, June 8, through Sunday, June 10, all at the Skowhegan Fairgrounds — a tribute to the Skowhegan State Fair, which will mark its 200th anniversary later, and a kickoff for the summer tourism season, said Main Street Skowhegan Executive Director Kristina Cannon.

“We’re excited about this opportunity to showcase Skowhegan, which has a long heritage of hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation,” Cannon said. “We expect to draw thousands of visitors from all over the Northeast who will stay in local lodging, eat in local restaurants, and shop in local stores during the weekendlong festival.

The 2018 Maine Moose Lottery application process is officially open to Maine residents and non-residents alike. No longer are mailed applications acceptable. Applications must be filed online. The deadline for submitting applications for the moose lottery is May 15, and must be posted no later than midnight on that date.

In 2016, 54,893 hunters applied for a Maine moose permit. Of these, 38,746 were Maine residents and 16,147 were nonresident applicants. The tagging stations last fall recorded a total moose harvest of 1,609 moose. Of those who applied, 5 percent of Maine residents drew a moose permit and 1.3 percent of non-residents drew.